Purse lights



April 26, 1955 A. Ross- 2,707,227

PURSE LIGHTS Filed Feb. 25, 1953 INVENTOR ,g/w/Vaf/e ,62:55

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ATTO R N EY United States Patent O PURSE LIGHTS Alexander Ross, Flushing, N. Y.

Application February 25, 1953, Serial No. 338.724

7 Claims. (Cl. 24o-10.65)

This invention relates to flashlights especially adapted to be carried within a ladys purse. While applicant is aware of numerous ilashlights intended for the same or like purposes, the present device constitutes a unique product vastly superior to heretofore known ashlights both from the structural standpoint as well as from the point of enduring and positive operativeness, its simplicity and its very low cost.

One of the major objects of the present invention is the provision of a very simple, extremely inexpensive and positively operable flashlight made of substantially boxlike telescoping outer and inner dielectric members which are normally held together by a bridging member adapted to engage both telescoping members so as to maintain them in their telescoping relation to one another, and wherein the inner` member is provided with means for removably retaining a ashlight bulb, whereas the outer member is provided with an aperture to permit the protrusion of the bulb, and wherein the bulb retaining means serve as a spacer for a pair of batteries disposed within the inner member, and wherein a plurality of very simple, removably inserted conductors are held within the inner member so as to connect the batteries with one another and with the bulb, and wherein one of the conductors `is adapted to become engaged by a manually operable circuit-closing element, the latter comprising a step-like body with a broadened base, said base limiting the outward movement of the element, and wherein a conductive spring extends between the bulb and the cir cuit-closing element and is intended to maintain the latter in its normal outward, circuit-opening but manually depressible position.

The foregoing and numerous other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the ensuing description of the device in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which latter illustrate a presently preferred embodiment of the instant invention but are by no means intended to restrict the same to the actual showing, and wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of a flashlight bulb with a spring conductor attached thereto and extending therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a top View of the device with a portion of the outer or female member thereof broken off;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the inner or male member of the device;

Fig. 5 is a section taken approximately along line 55 of Fig. 3 with the manually operable contact element in the process of closing the circuit for energizing the bulb;

Fig. 6 is a fragmental vertical cross section similar to that shown in Fig. 5, with the contact element in position of closing the circuit for an extended time period;

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the contact element; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the conductors mounted in the male member.

From Figs. 3, 5 and 6 it will be noted that the flashlight structure consists of an outer or female member 10 and an inner or male member 11 and which members have corresponding, relatively wide peripheral walls and end walls connecting these peripheral walls and forming, respectively, front and rear walls of the device, said members being intelescoping engagement with one another. They are preferably made of dielectric, thermoplastic material and are held together in their telescoping position by a metal, channel-shaped bridging member 12 pro vided with anges 13 engaging the outer faces of the end walls of the two telescoping members. At the center of bridging member 12 is an aperture 14, the purpose of which will be explained presently.

Both outer and inner members of the flashlight structure are substantially box-like, that is without lids. The inner or male member shown in plan view in Fig. 4 has four peripheral walls of which wall 15 is recessed at 16 and the edges of the recess form lips 17 extending inwardly. At approximately the center of the end wall of inner member 11 there is arranged a group of uniformly spaced upright posts 18 for the reception of an electric light bulb 19. Wall 20 of the male member opposite wall 15 is provided with a lug 21 and similar lugs 22 and 23 extend inwardly from walls 24 and 25, respectively. Lugs 21, 22 and 23 together with posts 18 are intended to correctly locate within the male member a pair of batteries 26 and 27, and lug 21 has an additional function as will become presently evident.

Placed within inner or male member 11 are a number of conductors in the form of spring strips, each of which are specially shaped. One of the strips 28 is placed between posts 18 so that its reduced end comes to rest just beneath bulb 19, whereas its broadened portion 28', shown in Fig. 3, extends below battery 27. The end portions of contact strip 28 are preferably bowed upwardly so as to tensionally bear against the bottom of bulb 19 and the outer conductive face of battery 27. Another conductor, shown in detail in Fig. 8 and indicated at 29, is located against wall 20 of the inner telescoping member. Also the end portions of this conductor are bowed so that they tensionally engage the carbon of battery 27 and the bottom of battery 26. ln order to prevent displacement ot' conductor 29 there is provided a recess 30 which engages and registers with lug 21.

A third conductor element is clearly shown at the lefthand upper corner in Fig. 3 and is indicated at 31. This conductor forms a U-shaped spring with one of its legs 32 shorter than its other leg 33. This latter leg bears against the carbon of battery 26, whereas leg 32 is firmly held between the interior surface of wall 15 and one of the lips 17 of recess 16. Due to the resiliency of all of the conductors the batteries as well as bulb 19 are always held under tension.

As will be clearly seen from Fig. 2, a spring wire 34 is wound at 35 about the body of bulb 19. A helical portion 36, smaller in diameter than winding 35 (Fig. 3), egttends from the bulb toward recess 16 and is compressi le.

Outer member 10 is built similarly to thestructure of inner member 11 but is larger so that its walls compass the walls of member 11. The two members are so de signed that when they are at their correct, interengaging position, the end faces of the peripheral walls of inner member 11 engage the interior surface of the front or end wall of outer member 10, and the peripheral walls of the latter member extend over substantially the full width of the peripheral walls of the inner member and completely enclose the same, as seen in Fig. 5. Wall 37 of the outer member is provided with a recess 38 (see Fig. 6) which registers with recess 16 in wall 15 of the inner member. Recesses 16 and 38 also register with recess 14 in bridging member 12. At the center of what would be the front wall of the flashlight there is provided in member 10 an enlargement 10 having an aperture 10 adapted for receiving and holding bulb 19 in place.

Manually operative within recesses 14, 16 and 38 is a contact element 39 shown in detail in Fig, 7. The body of this element constitutes a step-like formation, the outer, depressible reduced portion 40 of which being adapted to normally fully extend outwardly from the closed flashlight casing formed by telescoping members 10 and 11, and beyond bridging member 12, whereas its enlarged step portion 41 projects only partly from the casing, as clearly seen in Fig. l. Step enlargement 41 terminates in a broadenecl base or flange 42, and within the base there is provided a recess 43 for the reception of helical portion 36 of spring 34. Contact element 39 is preferably made of thermoplastic material and is completely encased in a metal deposit 44. As seen in Fig. 5, male member 11 is preferably equipped with a clip 45 for the purpose of suspending the ashlight from a garment or otherwise.

Assembly and operation To assemble the flashlight structure the first step comprises placing the several conductors into male member 11. Thus conductor 28 is located in position as shown in Fig. 3, then conductor 29 is placed opposite recess 16 and is anchored against lug 21 and finally U-shaped conductor 31 is forced into position. Now the two batteries 26 and 27 are inserted. Following that operation the flashlight is placed centrally between the four posts 18 with its spring portion 36 directed towards recess 16. Now contact member 39 is placed into recess 16 so that the end of spring 36 becomes seated in recess 43, thereby forcing base 42 of circuit-closing member 39 against lips 17 adjacent recess 16, all as shown in Fig. 3.

Now female member is placed over male member 11 so that recess 16 of the male member registers with recess 38 of the female member and so that bulb 19 projects through the central opening 10".

When the flashlight members are thus assembled, bridging member 12 is placed over the edges of the front and rear walls of the flashlight casing so that its recess 14 registers with recesses 16 and 38 of the two casing members. Now the device is ready for operation.

When the extending end 40 of contact member 39 is depressed against the tension of spring 34 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5, ledge or base 42 engages leg 33 of U-shaped conductor 31 thus closing the circuit energizing bulb 19. Upon release of member 39 the circuit is broken.

When it is desired to maintain the bulb lighted, the same procedure of depressing contact element 39 into the casing is followed, but in addition its portion 40 is swung towards the front of the device, as indicated by a curved arrow in Fig. 6, whereby step portion 41 is caused to engage the interior face of wall 37 and to come to rest against stop 46 within female member 10, as clearly seen in that figure. At that position of the contactmember its flange or base 42 engages leg 33 of conductor 31, closes the bulb circuit and keeps it closed until upper portion 40 is tilted backwards in the direction opposite to that indicated by the curved arrow.

From the foregoing description the simplicity of the flashlight structure as well as its operation becomes readily evident. One of the many advantages of this device is that its circuit-closing element always tends to open the circuit when accidentally operated, thus preventing undue discharge of the batteries, moreover the dislocation or disarrangement of the component parts within the flashlight casing are practically precluded, thereby assuring perfect contact connections leading from the batteries to the bulb. The simplicity and inexpensive construction of the device is manifest and does not in any way affect its positive and faultless operation. Additionally, the means for locating and holding in place the flashlight bulb and the attachment to the latter and the arrangement of the coil spring obviates the use of the usual screw connection between socket and bulb, which feature facilitates both assembly of the device and replacement of the bulb. Furthermore, the above described flashlight structure is designed to minimize corrosion effects and obviates totally the use of rivets, screws, bolts or any other adjunct usually found bothersome or ineffective in heretofore known flashlights. The simple, inexpensive and positively operative circuit-closing instrumentalities employed bespeak long-life, unfailing operational qualities of the device.

While in the foregoing specific components of the flashlight structure are described, their detail construction may have to be altered to meet various requirements, for

which reason such alterations are deemed to reside within the scope of the present invention, as defined in the annexed claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a flashlight structure, a pair of box-like telescoping inner and outer dielectric members, having overlapping peripheral walls and end walls connecting their respective peripheral walls, and wherein the peripheral walls of the outer member extend over the full width of the peripheral walls of the inner member, a bridging member adapted to engage both members along two adjacent edges of their end walls for maintaining them in their telescoping relation to one another, said inner member having a group of centrally disposed, uniformly spaced bulb-retaining posts serving as an insulating spacer for a pair 0f batteries and as guide and holder for an electric conductor, a recess for a contact element provided in one side wall of the inner dielectric member; the outer member having a similar recess in its corresponding side wall and a central bulb-receiving recess in its front wall, an electric bulb held by said retaining posts, a contact element having a step enlargement extending through the recesses in the side walls of the inner and outer telescoping members, a conductive spring wound about said bulb and extending therefrom against said contact element and normally urging the latter against the recessed side wall of that inner telescoping member and rendering the contact element depressible.

2. In a flashlight structure, inner and outer telescoping dielectric, substantially box-like members with cooperating, completely overlapping peripheral walls, the

peripheral walls of one member registering with and extending fully into those of the other member, each of the members having an end wall connecting its respective peripheral walls, the end wall of one of the members forming the rear wall of the structure, the end wall of the other member constituting the front wall of the structure and having a bulb-accommodating aperture, a bridging element removably engaging two oppositely disposed edges of said members and normally holding the latter in their telescoping position; one of the members having a plurality of uniformly spaced bulb-retaining posts, the central space defined by these posts being aligned with said bulb-accommodating aperture, registering recesses 1n corresponding peripheral walls of the two members and an aperture in said bridging element aligned with said recesses, and a depressible and tiltable contact element projecting through said wall rccesses and said bridging element aperture and normally extending beyond said bridging element, said contact element having a step enlargement at its interior end to facilitate its retention in tilted position.

3. In a flashlight structure according to claim 2, and wherein an electric bulb is held by said bulb-retaining posts and projects through said bulb-accommodating opening, a conductive spring wound about said bulb and tensionally engaging said contact element, the latter being conductive and having a recess for receiving the free end of the spring.

4. In a flashlight structure according to claim 3, and wherein the step enlargement of said contact element is provided with a broadened base or flange forming an outward stop for the contact element and serving for closing an electric circuit.

5. 1n a flashlight structure according to claim 4, and wherein a pair of series connected batteries are placed at two opposite sides of said bulb-retaining posts, and wherein several independent conductors are removably placed within the flashlight structure for effecting connection between the batteries and the bulb, and wherein said conductors comprise one conductor disposed beneath said bulb and contacting one terminus of one of the batteries, said one conductor being positioned in the space between said bulb-retaining posts; another conductor connecting the other terminus of that one battery with one of the termini of the other battery and being disposed opposite said contact element; and a third conductor forming a semiloop and engaging the other terminus of that other battery and being adapted for engagement by the base of said contact element, when the latter is momentarily depressed.

6. A flashlight structure comprising in combination a casing composed of male and female, substantially box-like members having telescoping peripheral walls, wherein the peripheral walls of the male member extend over their full width into those of the female member, both members being provided at one of their peripheral walls with registering recesses for the reception therein of a contact member, a centrally arranged group of bulb-retaining posts provided with said male member, a bulb held by said posts, the other member having a central aperture for accommodating the bulb, a tiltable contact member operative within said recesses and comprising a conductive, step-forming body having a relatively broad base serving as outward stop and circuit closer, a cavity provided in said base, a conductive spring removably wound about said bulb and extending from the latter into said cavity of the contact member and normally urging that member in outward direction relative the casing.

7. A flashlight structure according to claim 6, and wherein the step-forming body of the contact member comprises a depressible portion and a substantially larger step portion, and wherein said registering recesses of the casing members are sufficiently spacious to normally accommodate and to permit the projection above the casing of said step portion, said contact member being adapted for depression into the casing and for tilting so that the step portion engages the interior face of the casing for holding the contact member in depressed position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Swanson Nov. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 9, 1933 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1936 Switzerland Oct. 1'6, 1939 France June 20, 1952 

